Coming soon: Clippings 7.0

The next version of Clippings, the extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for pasting into web page forms in Firefox and email messages in Thunderbird, is coming soon!

Some of the new features and improvements coming to Clippings 7.0 are:

• Ability to add separators to organize your clippings and folders in the Clippings menu
• Copy clipping text from Clippings Manager or the new Clippings Sidebar (this feature available for Firefox only)
• New option to show the shortcut key of a clipping in the Clippings menu
• New placeholder for embedding a clipping in a clipping
• Compressed sync data, allowing you to sync more of your clippings
• And many more improvements!

Get Ready For Clippings 7.0

Clippings 7.0 will require Firefox 128 or newer, while Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 will require Thunderbird 128 or newer. If you're still on Firefox 115 ESR or Thunderbird 115, upgrade to the newest version to take advantage of all the new features in Clippings 7.0 when it's released.

The Sync Clippings enhancements that's coming to Clippings 7.0 will require an upgrade of the Sync Clippings Helper app. More information will be posted here when Sync Clippings Helper 2.0 is released.

Help Wanted!

Clippings 7.0 is currently in beta, and testers are needed to try out the new features and improvements and look for any bugs. For instructions on how to get the beta releases and things you should know about, see the earlier posts on this blog. If you find a bug, report it using the issue tracker in the GitHub project for Clippings or Clippings for Thunderbird.

Translators are also needed to update the UI strings that have been added for this release. If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help, get started by joining the Crowdin project for Clippings!

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the development of Clippings and make it better for yourself and hundreds of thousands of users around the world. Contributors to Clippings 7.0 will have their efforts recognized and credited on this blog in the official release post.

Monthly update: September 2024

After months of work, the official release of Clippings 7.0, an upcoming version of the extension for Firefox and Thunderbird that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms and email messages, is now in sight! The latest beta releases of Clippings 7.0 and Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 are expected to be the last ones before the eventual release candidate builds. With Clippings now feature complete, I'm now focused on fixing the remaining minor bugs and making several improvements to the UI to give it an updated look and feel.

Testers are still needed to try out the new features and improvements and look for any bugs. If you find a bug, report it using the issue tracker in the GitHub project for Clippings or Clippings for Thunderbird.

Translators are also needed to update the UI strings that have been added for this release. If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help, get started by joining the Crowdin project for Clippings!

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the development of Clippings and make it better for yourself and hundreds of thousands of users around the world. Contributors to Clippings 7.0 will have their efforts recognized and credited on this blog in the official release post.

Other Projects

Some of the UI updates found in Clippings 7.0 will be ported over to Panic Button, so watch for a minor update for this Firefox extension later this month.

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 5 released!

This fifth beta release of Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 is released to fix an upgrade bug that is occurring in version 7.0 beta 4. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and while it's the most stable beta release yet, expect to run into the occasional bug.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0, and how to get it!

What's New

• The Clippings toolbar button in the message compose window has moved from the status bar to the Composition Toolbar. The Clippings toolbar button no longer appears in the main Thunderbird window
• You can now add separators to organize your clippings in the Clippings menu. Separators can be added in Clippings Manager by right-clicking on a clipping or folder and then selecting Insert Separator from the context menu
• New option to show the shortcut key of a clipping in the Clippings menu. Turn on this setting from the redesigned extension preferences page
• New placeholder for embedding a clipping in a clipping. Placeholder syntax: $[CLIPPING(Name of clipping)].
  
• Sync Clippings enhancements: sync data is now compressed, allowing you to sync more of your clippings; also, improved handling of read-only sync files
• On macOS, automatic positioning of windows and dialogs, and saving of the Clippings Manager window position and size, are now fully supported
• On Linux, the option to minimize the Clippings Manager window when it's inactive has been removed, since the window is no longer always on top in recent versions of Thunderbird
  
• When new users install Clippings for Thunderbird, it will only ask for the extension permissions it needs for basic functionality, and will ask for additional permissions if turning on Sync Clippings or creating a new clipping from the clipboard for the first time. This is a change from previous versions, where Clippings for Thunderbird requested full, unrestricted access to Thunderbird and your system
• Many behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure compatibility with future versions of Thunderbird
•  Fixed in 7.0b5  Incorrect setting for enabling the keyboard shortcut to invoke keyboard paste mode after updating to version 7.0b4 (issue #189). This issue will correct itself when updating to this beta release unless the setting was changed
•  Fixed in 7.0b5  Pasting a clipping into the message composer stops working immediately after upgrade (issue #192)

Things You Should Know About

• Users of Clippings for Thunderbird version 5.7 or earlier should take note: Clippings will no longer automatically import your legacy clippings data when upgrading from those old versions. Export your clippings now (select the "Clippings 6" data format) so that you can import them when you're ready to upgrade Clippings to version 7.0 or newer.
  
• Additional extension permissions are now required for some features. When turning on Sync Clippings or performing clipboard actions for the first time, a message box will appear, indicating the extension permission requested and how to grant it. If you're upgrading from an earlier version of Clippings, the necessary permission for Sync Clippings will already be enabled.

Compatibility

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 is compatible with Thunderbird 128 and newer. It is not compatible with Thunderbird 115.x.

The Sync Clippings enhancements require an upgrade of the Sync Clippings Helper app. Read this blog post for details about Sync Clippings 2.0 and how to install the beta release.

How to Get It

IMPORTANT! If you're already using Clippings and want to try the beta release, back up your clippings first before upgrading.

To install this beta release, head over to the Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 5 page on GitHub. Look for the link to clippings-tb-7.0b5.xpi, then right-click on it and select Save Link As, then choose a folder location on your system (for example, the Desktop). Then follow these step-by-step instructions from the Mozilla Support website to install Clippings in Thunderbird.

Current beta users will be automatically updated to the latest beta release if automatic extension updates are turned on in Add-ons Manager.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 4 released!

This is the fourth beta release of the next version of Clippings for Thunderbird. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and while it's the most stable beta release yet, expect to run into the occasional bug.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0, and how to get it!

What's New

• The Clippings toolbar button in the message compose window has moved from the status bar to the Composition Toolbar. The Clippings toolbar button no longer appears in the main Thunderbird window
• You can now add separators to organize your clippings in the Clippings menu. Separators can be added in Clippings Manager by right-clicking on a clipping or folder and then selecting Insert Separator from the context menu
• New option to show the shortcut key of a clipping in the Clippings menu. Turn on this setting from the redesigned extension preferences page
• New placeholder for embedding a clipping in a clipping. Placeholder syntax: $[CLIPPING(Name of clipping)].
  
• Sync Clippings enhancements: sync data is now compressed, allowing you to sync more of your clippings; also, improved handling of read-only sync files
• On macOS, automatic positioning of windows and dialogs, and saving of the Clippings Manager window position and size, are now fully supported
• On Linux, the option to minimize the Clippings Manager window when it's inactive has been removed, since the window is no longer always on top in recent versions of Thunderbird
  
• When new users install Clippings for Thunderbird, it will only ask for the extension permissions it needs for basic functionality, and will ask for additional permissions if turning on Sync Clippings or creating a new clipping from the clipboard for the first time. This is a change from previous versions, where Clippings for Thunderbird requested full, unrestricted access to Thunderbird and your system
• Many behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure compatibility with future versions of Thunderbird
•  New in 7.0b4  New "Organize Clippings" menu item in the Tools menu of the main Thunderbird menu bar. If updating from a previous beta release, you can enable this in extension preferences
•  New in 7.0b4  The correct keyboard shortcut for invoking shortcut key mode is now displayed if it was changed in Manage Extension Shortcuts in Add-ons Manager (issue #189) 
•  Fixed in 7.0b4  Improved appearance of the label menu (issue #190)

 Things You Should Know About

• Users of Clippings for Thunderbird version 5.7 or earlier should take note: Clippings will no longer automatically import your legacy clippings data when upgrading from those old versions. Export your clippings now (select the "Clippings 6" data format) so that you can import them when you're ready to upgrade Clippings to version 7.0 or newer.
  
• Additional extension permissions are now required for some features. When turning on Sync Clippings or performing clipboard actions for the first time, a message box will appear, indicating the extension permission requested and how to grant it. If you're upgrading from an earlier version of Clippings, the necessary permission for Sync Clippings will already be enabled.

Compatibility

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 is compatible with Thunderbird 128 and newer. It is not compatible with Thunderbird 115.x.

The Sync Clippings enhancements require an upgrade of the Sync Clippings Helper app. Read this blog post for details about Sync Clippings 2.0 and how to install the beta release.

How to Get It

IMPORTANT! If you're already using Clippings and want to try the beta release, back up your clippings first before upgrading.

To install this beta release, head over to the Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 4 page on GitHub. Look for the link to clippings-tb-7.0b4.xpi, then right-click on it and select Save Link As, then choose a folder location on your system (for example, the Desktop). Then follow these step-by-step instructions from the Mozilla Support website to install Clippings in Thunderbird.

Current beta users will be automatically updated to the latest beta release if automatic extension updates are turned on in Add-ons Manager.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.